


Precious

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Prompt Collection [35]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Dubious Science, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Even more dubious medical practices, Fade to Black, First Kiss, First Time, Happy Ending, Hurt Stephen Strange, It's Marvel so it doesn't have to be accurate or realistic right?, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Tony Stark, So Does Stephen and it's making problems, Stephen gets hit by dubious magic once again, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Wong (for a scene)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 13:59:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17726552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: If Stephen had to die alone and in pain, coughing himself into a heart attack, he wanted to see the man he loved one more time.Stephen's dying and just wants to see Tony one more time. Tony, of course, is not willing to let him go and will move heaven and earth to save the man he loves. And if that includes very experimental science? So be it.





	Precious

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of months ago the prompt of my dreams dropped into my inbox:  
>  _Hi, I love you. I was wondering if you could write about Stephen getting a magical sickness while at Kamar-Taj, but instead of staying there, he manages to portal to Tony, landing right in front of him. Is this too much to ask? Thank you in advance!_
> 
> Sadly it was anonymous, otherwise I would shower the op with my undying gratitude. There is a lot I have to say about this story and I have said it all in the Tumblr announcement post which will be linked in the end notes. I just want to copy one thing out of them because it's important:
> 
> Also featuring: Bullshit medicine as seen in the MCU before. Open heart surgery in a cave and a electromagnet powered by a car battery to keep shrapnel away from the heart? Gamma radiation that transforms a man into a green rage monster? A super-soldier serum? Pfff, if Marvel can do than I can make up my own treatment. Or Tony can, at least. Don't expect anything resembling real life medicine in here. We're here for drama and heartfelt bedside confessions, not realism!
> 
> This story also contains a couple of references to a slightly submissive Stephen. Which won't surprise anyone who has read my work before because I love the concept. I didn't put in the tags because it's barely there but I don't want anyone blindsided by it. (Warning or enticement? You decide!)
> 
> I put the 🦋 in because of reasons. Oh, and the title is from Depeche Mode's _Precious_ which also served as the inspiration for this story. Check it out, it's a wonderful song.

It began harmless, shortly after he came back from a visit to another dimension where things were just that little bit different from his own. It was just a little cough and a general feeling of 'something's not right' at first but that quickly escalated to dizziness, nausea, confusion and a vague pain in his chest.

The symptoms fit no illness he knew of.

Stephen managed to hide it well, all things considered, but the moments where he didn't quite knew who or where he was, or how he was supposed to act, where coming at ever shortening intervals. It didn't matter in which hidden book of Wong's library he searched for answers - he didn't come up with anything. Desperation and panic were just lurking around the corner but so far Stephen had managed to outrun his two old enemies.

It was something magic-related, he was sure of that. He was a damn _doctor_ , after all. A good one. One of the very best. He took another book off the shelf and idly browsed through it. After a few pages he stopped and stared. It was right here. Every last one of his symptoms what he could expect in the future. Not that there was a lot of future left for him.

 _No!_ Everything in him cried in denial but he couldn’t get anything past his lips. His free hand went to his chest but instead of the Eye that had sat there in the past he touched his chest right above his heart. Why hadn't he noticed that his heart was making problems? How stupid was he exactly? _It's not about you_ , was nice and good but when you failed to notice an irregular heartbeat as a _doctor_ …

 _Fuck!_ He felt his knees going weak and looked around for the nearest surface to sit down on. _No, please, no_ , was on endless repeat in his mind.

It was the Cloak who gently took the book out of his shaking hands and went to deposit it back on its place on the shelf. It contemplated the books in front of it for a long moment before it chose another one and brought it back to Stephen. When it came back to the spot where it had left its master it found him unmoving on the floor, both hands clutched to his chest.

Instead of getting futile help it decided to act like a blanket. Stephen would wake up again, it knew. This time at least. It carefully wiped an escaped tear off Stephen's face and settled on top of him to wait. It had read along with Stephen and knew what would come next and was already mourning and determined not to be left behind this time.

No more glass cages for the Cloak of Levitation; this time it would go with its intended.

*

 _I can't take this much longer_ , Stephen realized after he came to his senses on the floor of the library. His last memory was of coming here for more futile research but a glance at his watch told him that that had been three hours ago. "Fuck," he groaned as he tried to force himself upright again. He only managed it because the Cloak more or less dragged him upwards and dumped him on the nearest chair. The memories came back and he winced. The Cloak threw a book into his lap and Stephen tried to concentrate on the words on the cover. He could decipher them after a moment and after a few minutes knew that it couldn't help him. The next book came in not even a minute later and was as useless as the first one.

"Thank you," Stephen whispered three hours and half a dozen books later. He held out a shaking hand. The Cloak wound a corner of itself around his wrist and squeezed it reassuringly. Stephen smiled at it. "Don't be sad," he said after yet another coughing fit. His lungs were burning, there was the taste of blood in his mouth and he could feel his heart working overtime. "The ideas were good and it's not your fault that they didn't work out."

The Cloak had been trying to help by pointing out not only various books, which might contain useful information, but also specific chapters. So far nothing had been even remotely helpful and it had run out of ideas.

While the Cloak still held on to his left wrist he carefully turned his right one over and studied the thin black lines that had appeared on his skin only yesterday. Yet another symptom he couldn't place a couple of hours ago. Now he could and wished that he didn't. _Ignorance is bliss._ The Cloak rubbed over them as if trying to wipe them away.

"Sorry, but I don't think it works like that." Stephen smiled sadly and petted the fabric affectionately. "But I appreciate the gesture."

He barely held in a cry as he tried to stand up and a sharp pain went right through his body. He fell back down into the chair. _Fuck_ _!_ He panted and instinctively put his hand on the spot that hurt most - right over his heart. _So that's it then, last stage approaching. That was quick._

Somehow, he had never imagined that he would die from heart failure, even if it was induced by magic.

Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to go back home. Kamar-Taj was beautiful, no doubt about that, and it was a place where he felt safe, but it wasn't _home_. Home was the Sanctum in all its old-fashioned glory, with its empty rooms and dangerous artifacts. Home was New York. Home was were Tony was, even if the man didn't know it yet. Now he never would and all their careful dancing around each other had been for nothing.

If Stephen had to die alone and in pain, coughing himself into a heart attack, he wanted to see the man he loved one more time.

"Are you up for one last trip?" he asked his companion. "It's not fair on him, I know, but I'm allowed to be a little bit selfish right before the end, don't you think so?" He had been selfish for most of his life, it was an instinct by now. He could mask his deteriorating health behind a glamour for a short time, had done so for the last few days when forced to interact with other people. He didn't want to worry Wong and the others as long as he didn't know what was going on and now it was too late. No need to inform them of things that could not be changed. They would soon discover what happened. He felt a pang of sorrow over the knowledge that he wouldn't see Wong again but the choice was him or Tony. He hadn't had enough time or energy left for both and Tony was the one his soul cried out for in its last hours.

The glamour would fool Tony, too, and Stephen could see him for one last time. Maybe even touch him. Tony had embraced him in farewell the last time they'd met and if he concentrated really hard Stephen could still feel those strong arms locked around his middle. Tony had even patted him on the back a little and it been more than just some friendly slap between comrades. It was one of his most treasured memories. Stephen had fallen asleep to the sense-memory of being in Tony's arms for the last few weeks. For a moment he imagined dying in Tony's arms and as nice as that might be for him the couldn't do that to Tony. The man had already lost way too many people in his life and Stephen's death would hit him hard; Stephen had no illusions about that. But to collapse in his arms? Was a whole other matter and needlessly cruel.

No, he would go to the Sanctum, put on his nicest casual clothes, cast the best and strongest glamour he could manage and then portal over to the tower. He would spend a nice and relaxed evening in the company of the man the loved and then go back home and wait for the end. It wouldn't be a long wait, he knew. One, maybe two days. Probably less. His heart stuttered for a moment and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath; glad when he managed that without inducing yet another coughing fit. _Definitely_ less. He had to get his timing right or Tony would have to witness his death and that was unacceptable. 

Another sharp pain in his chest let him double over and the Cloak patted his back soothingly. _Painkillers_ , he decided. He would take a couple of his old stash before meeting Tony. Being high was preferable to being in agony and he didn't have to worry about addiction anymore after all.

*

"Ready?" he asked the Cloak a couple of hours later. He'd put his affairs in Kamar-Taj in order as best as he could and had left letters to those important to him. They would appear after his death released the spell holding them in the mirror dimension for now. The one for Wong was far longer than the others and also the only one he'd written by hand. It had been a slow and torturous process but Wong deserved the pain and care that had went into it.

Tony wouldn't get a letter. Tony was a futurist and deserved even more than Wong. Stephen had recorded a short but heartfelt video message on his phone - it showed him without the glamour and by now he looked really sick. He would send it after he'd left Tony, before falling asleep. He couldn't be sure if he ever woke up, after all.

"I'm sorry," were the last words Tony would ever hear from him and Stephen only hoped that the unspoken _I love you_ was as loud and clear as he intended it to be. He'd tried but he hadn't managed to say the words. They were hidden in a written but unsent e-mail so chances were that Tony would see them after his death. Stephen was under no illusion that Tony - and FRIDAY - wouldn't go through that thing down to the last line of code after watching his message.

 _I look like hell_ , he thought as he re-watched the video to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything important before saving it into the secure folder of his phone. Too thin, too pale, red-rimmed eyes, a hint of blue on his lips and his whole body was shaking by now. If hopeless exhaustion had a name it would be Stephen Strange. At least the dark lines on his skin were still hidden by his clothes. Even his voice sounded off - too raspy and even quieter than usual. The constant coughing during speaking hadn't helped.

 _I look like a junkie in search of one last hit._ He hadn't forgotten about the pills and their siren song had only gotten stronger as the pain grew worse. He wasn't even sure if the glamour could mask the effects of his sickness by now that didn't matter anymore. _Alea iacta est._ He would not die without seeing Tony once again. He _deserved_ this last gift from a universe which had constantly pushed and punished him for everything. He would make up some bullshit excuse if Tony asked.

 _When_ Tony asked.

"Ready?" The Cloak nodded its assent and flew over to help him up from his chair. "Are you really sure?" he asked once again; hoping against hope to change its mind. Another nod, quite impatient this time.

 _I'm going with you_ , it seemed to say and Stephen smiled despite wanting to cry. He was sad and relieved at the same time. He didn't want to deprive the world of an ally like the Cloak of Levitation but it had made its wishes clear and he had no right to refuse it. It would follow Stephen down into oblivion, unwilling to be left behind by yet another master. It had cast the spell that wove its own magic to Stephen's itself and would become a lifeless piece of cloth the moment Stephen's heart stopped beating on its own accord and his soul vanished into the great unknown.

Stephen was glad that he wouldn't be alone in his final moments. The Cloak kept him upwards as he tried and failed to conjure a portal to the Sanctum for the fifth time.

"Damn it!"

He took a deep breath and gathered the last bits of his frayed patience. He forced his aching and shaking hands into the age-old movements once again. In the last second his attention wavered and instead of the foyer of the Sanctum he visualized Tony's workshop at the tower. He didn't notice his mistake, too relieved to finally create a working portal, even if it was unstable and fizzed dangerously. It was the Cloak who pushed him forwards and by the time he stumbled through it he was already half unconscious.

He heard a surprised "Stephen?! What the fuck?" but he was too busy collapsing on the floor to answer.

The Cloak cushioned his fall and a few seconds later his head and upper body were cradled in the arms of the man he wanted to be with more than anything else.

He looked up at Tony's terrified face and attempted to smile. He would have preferred to see Tony happy but he got confused panic and fear instead. It seemed the universe had a little bit of mercy left for him and none for Tony.

"Sorry," he whispered and closed his eyes. 

He last touch he felt were Tony's fingers on his throat, frantically searching for his stuttering pulse; the last thing he heard was a desperate "damn it, Stephen, don't leave me!"

* * *

"Tony," yet another coughing fit interrupted Stephen and Tony winced at the harsh sound. He rubbed his own chest in commiseration and to chase away the reawakened phantom pain of his implants. "I'm sorry."

 _I love you_ , Tony almost heard and swallowed down the tears and sorrow the words brought. Instead he looked up from the phone and to the motionless - but still alive - body of Stephen. He had watched the message four times by now and it got harder every time. He put the phone away to concentrate fully on Stephen. _Self-sacrificing idiot._

"What's his condition, FRI?" he asked quietly, already dreading the answer.

"Dangerous but stable for now. Doctor Strange's condition hasn't deteriorated in the last thirty minutes, Boss."

Stephen was still alive, still breathing on his own and his heart was finally beating regularly again. He looked disturbingly peaceful and Tony's own heart ached at the realization that he had never before seen him so relaxed and his face so calm with no traces of pain.

Tony, who had his fair share of experience with heart problems, watched the data FRIDAY constantly streamed to his glasses for a few moments and finally dared to breath a first, hopeful sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Tony didn't know who exactly he was thanking.

Stephen should be back at his magical estate or his own private magic land to get the help he really needed. Tony knew that. He had been able to stabilize Stephen's heart but he couldn't do anything against the poison - that one was purely magical. But he just couldn't bring himself to turn him over to Wong. Instead of being where he was supposed to be Stephen was lying in the still fully equipped but so far unused medical wing of the former Avengers Tower while Wong had returned to Kamar-Taj.

They both didn't exactly trust Stephen's vague explanations from the video since they _knew_ him.

Tony had frantically called everyone who might be able to help the moment he'd gotten over his shock of having Stephen collapsing in his workshop but had only reached Wong. Stephen's friend Christine was in surgery and Bruce had gone Gods-knew-where with Thor and Loki. As usual Tony was alone when the crisis hit and had no one to lean on. He stepped closer to the bed and forced his attention away from the data and to Stephen instead. He longed to reach out and hold him but that was impossible right now.

 _Not like this_ , he thought for the thousandth time. _Not like this._ Yes, he wanted Stephen in his arms, wanted that more than anything else in the world. But not like this. He wanted a conscious and willing Stephen who would laugh at Tony's antics and call him a sentimental idiot while clinging back.

He didn't want a half dead Stephen going into cardiac arrest right in front of him. He didn't want to frantically beg Stephen to please wake up while screaming at FRIDAY to get the medbay online. He didn't want the memory of having to carry Stephen here and being forced to stabilize him alone with only his AIs help.

He wanted to lead Stephen to his bedroom and carefully untangle the mess of belts, fabric and supportive bonds that hid him away from Tony's touch while his Cloak was trying to be helpful while actually being in the way. Yes, Tony had fantasized about a piece of _fabric_.

A piece of fabric which now hung in the air near Stephen's head and gave its best impression of a kicked puppy, which did nothing good for Tony's nerves. But it was still alive and levitating and not a lifeless puddle on the floor so Stephen was still fighting. Stephen had been very clear about that in his message - the Cloak had bound itself not only to his heartbeat but also to his soul. The Cloak would die with Stephen's soul, even if his heart should be kept beating by technology.

Before Titan and the Soul Stone Tony had never believed in the concept of a soul. Now he was ready and willing to do pretty much anything to save the precious one right in front of him.

He definitely didn't want to look at Stephen's deathly still body, watching his heartbeat getting a little bit weaker by the hour while the weird rash that almost looked like palladium poisoning took over more and more of Stephen's skin. By now both of his arms were marked, almost hiding away the scarred horror that was his hands and arms, and it was starting to spread out to his chest. Tony shivered and forced the memories down. He didn't wish that kind of hell on anyone, let alone on someone he… _loved_.

There it was, the damning word they both had danced around for a couple of weeks now. Tony let it linger in his mind to drown out the threatening flashback.

"I'd put a reactor in you if I'd believed that it would help," he said after silently watching Stephen's vitals for a couple of minutes. They were stable. For now. Thank the nanites. "One without a palladium core of course. But we both know that your problems don't come from shrapnel in your heart." That would have been easier to fix.

He reached out without thinking about it and settled his right hand above Stephen's heart. It was beating slow - too slow - but steady thanks to the nanites Tony had put in him. If they could keep his own heart working they could do so with Stephen's had been his reasoning and he had shoved all thoughts about informed consent aside as he ordered FRIDAY to prepare them for insertion. Nobody had asked him and he had survived a far more brutal version of heart surgery. Besides, the nanites had a limited lifespan. They would deactivate and be absorbed by Stephen's body in about two weeks, since in all their efforts they hadn't managed to make them last longer so far. They were just the gentler version of CPR and a temporary pace-maker, nothing more. Okay, they could and would repair any damage they would encounter but that was only a plus.

Tony could keep Stephen's heart beating; Stephen had to do the rest himself.

 _Please fight._ _Come back to me._

The Cloak perked up and put an corner over Tony's hand. It knew what was up and had somehow - Tony didn't know how - given Wong some clues where to look for more answers. The man had gone back to Kamar-Taj immediately and now they were waiting for him return. That had been four hours ago.

"Come back to me." Tony unconsciously echoed his wandering thoughts. He sat down on the right side of the bed and kept his hand on Stephen's chest. "Please." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the warm and breathing body beneath his hand. "Stay strong."

_I need you. I love you. I want you. I refuse to let you go._

"Tony?"

At first, he thought the faint whisper was just his imagination but when the Cloak jerked back and a blast of cool air hit the back of his hand Tony was suddenly back in the here and now. It took him a moment to gather himself enough to look up. He was greeted by the most beautiful sight ever - Stephen's mesmerizing eyes were open and looking at him. _Seeing_ him.

Tony reached out with his free hand, put it on Stephen's throat to check the pulse there, and said the most inane thing he could think about: "Hi." He began to gently stroke Stephen in an effort to keep him calm.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Stephen gifted him with a small smile that quickly became a wince when he tried to move and discovered that the movement hurt deep in his chest. His heart.

"Shh, relax, you're safe. Your heart is going to be okay," Tony said quickly and fought against the impulse to press down a little bit harder on Stephen's chest to keep him still. He hadn't wanted to immobilize Stephen and he hadn't counted on him waking up and being coherent from one second to the next. _Typical._ Stephen still tried to move and Tony moved his hand from his throat to his shoulder to hold him down. The Cloak joined him in his efforts. "Please keep calm, baby, I'll explain everything, but you have to stay still."

The nanites couldn't be disturbed in their delicate repair work and sudden movement could destroy all the hard-won progress of the last few hours. He couldn't watch Stephen go into cardiac arrest again, he just couldn't. He only noticed what had slipped out when Stephen's weak struggle stopped abruptly and he looked up. His eyes were wide with disbelief and fear but also a hint of something else. He relaxed a little bit and Tony felt a wave of relief wash over him.

_What did you do to me?_

The question hung in the air but Stephen didn't ask it out loud, too busy struggling to breathe. Tony only hoped that he wouldn't start coughing again. He started to stroke his chest in an attempt to keep him calm and his heartrate down. Better too slow than too fast. He took off his glasses and threw them at the bedside table because he didn't want to see the damn data anymore. It looked rather good, all things considered, but Stephen wasn't out of danger yet.

"Relax," he begged. "Breathe slowly and try to keep as still as possible. I said that your heart is going to be okay but you're not there yet." Stephen took a breath and tried to say something again but Tony was faster. With his free hand he caught Stephen's wandering right one and gently put it back on onto the bed. "Don't speak and I'll explain everything. Please, baby," he added since the endearment had produced great results in calming Stephen down the first time. Tony filed that information away for later and smiled when he could feel Stephen surrender into his gentle hold. He looked up at Tony who could read every question clearly in those beautiful eyes.

"You know that your heart was failing by the time you stumbled into my workshop, right?"

Stephen, of course, couldn't follow a simple instruction. "Yes," he whispered. "Could feel it." Tony winced at the broken sound of his voice but decided to let it go.

"Right, of course. Well, you also know how my heart keeps working these days so I'll spare you the long-ass scientific explanation…" _Please keep calm, please try to stay still and don't…_

"You put the nanites into me," Stephen interrupted. He looked surprised but he didn't tense up so it still counted as a victory in Tony's book. The trust he put in Tony with that simple non-reaction was monumental and Tony was left speechless for a moment.

"They're busy repairing as we speak." Tony dared to press down a little bit harder on Stephen's chest. Its steady beat had gotten a little bit stronger. "Your heart is beating regularly now and all the simulations show that the damage might be almost completely reversible." He paused for a moment. "You came to me just in time." Tony didn't need to add that nobody else on the planet could have saved him.

"Almost," Stephen repeated almost silently but didn't ask for clarification. Instead he concentrated on the facts. "But as long as they're working it's best not to move around too much?" Now that he knew how serious it was Stephen tried his best to keep as still as possible and Tony rewarded him with a smile and a gentle squeeze of the wrist he was still holding.

"There wasn't enough time to program them properly," he explained. "They're running on the basic programming - stabilize first, like a pacemaker, then repair the damage. They're not able to deal with anything else." Not like Tony's own, who were almost intelligent and could deal with a lot more. But the nanites in Tony were from outer space, bonded to his DNA, courtesy of Nebula's efforts in keeping him alive after Titan, and not the earthly knock-off Tony had tried to get to work for months now. 

Stephen knew all of that, of course. He had insisted on examining Tony himself after Thanos' defeat and he, along with Bruce, had been an integral part in the complex project. He knew just how experimental this treatment was.

"So I'm your guinea-pig now?" Stephen didn't sound angry, Tony noted to his great relief, just curious. And a little bit scared. He had every right to be. There were tiny little machines crawling around in his heart right now, after all. But this wasn't the first time Stephen had been the subject to experimental treatments and this one would turn out better than the various operations on his hands. Tony's eyes wandered down to Stephen's eternally shaking ones and cursed their timing once again. If they'd known each other back then… Maybe… He shook the what-if scenarios off with the ease of long practice.

"It was the only chance. You would have died in my arms otherwise."

Stephen's eyes closed and the ghost of a smile was on his lips. "Wouldn't have been the worst way to go." 

"Don't," Tony begged and shook his head. He shuddered just like every time he was reminded of the fact that Stephen didn't value his own life nearly as highly as he should. "You're not going to die. Not on my watch. Never again. I'm not letting you go." _You're mine now. Or will be, as soon as you're healthy again._

Stephen was silent after that. He was very slow and careful as he raised his left hand and put it on his chest. Tony watched but did nothing. Stephen knew what he was doing now and all his practice in mediation helped him in keeping his breathing calm and his body relaxed. It was natural that he wanted to feel it himself. "An injection directly into my heart?" he guessed as his trembling fingers encountered the bandage.

Tony nodded. "They had to get in you and start their work immediately. Does it hurt?" So far there had been no time to treat the entry wound except for a bandage. Tony had been almost blind from tears as he put it over the gaping wound and had whispered useless apologies the whole time. The nanites would get to it after the important work was done.

Stephen started to shake his head but stopped himself the moment Tony put a warning hand to the left side of his face and shook his head in a silent plea.

"Sorry," he said. "No, it doesn't actually. It's a strange feeling but not much pain." They both didn't react to his choice of words. "I think… I think I can feel them inside of me."

"You're not supposed to." Tony never did.

Stephen smiled. "It's okay. At least I know they're working. It feels much better than before. How long before I can get up again?"

Tony put his glasses back on and stared at the data for a moment. If it was his choice he would have kept Stephen immobile for at least another day but he knew better than to suggest that. "FRI?" The data came in and Tony smiled in relief. "Soon. About an hour or so? Nothing for a being with your unending patience." Stephen could theoretically move around a little bit right now but Tony was determined to keep him flat on his back for as long as possible. He doubted that he would get the full hour though and would be happy with every minute he got.

Stephen shot him a murderous glare and Tony grinned back. He moved his hand and FRIDAY projected an hologram with all the data above Stephen's head. The next few minutes were spent in silent contemplation.

"What lifespan did you give them?"

"About two weeks." The currently possible maximum time, he didn't add. Stephen knew that. "They will repair your heart as far as possible and after that they're going to support it as long as they can. I'm not letting you out of my sight and FRIDAY's scanners until I'm sure that you're not going to have a heart attack the minute you overtax yourself. Even after they've gone dark."

'Going dark' meant that they would break up into their base materials and be absorbed into Stephen's blood, unlike Tony's who were self-replicating and were also needed to keep him alive. His heart and lungs were too damaged to let him survive without constant help and transplants weren't an option. Not with his overall ruined health and a body that couldn't take yet another invasive surgery. Tony could live an almost normal life thanks to the tiny machines in his blood and had learned to appreciate the tenth or so chance the universe had given him. No more death wish for him. Now he only had to get Stephen on the same train of thinking...

More silence as Stephen contemplated his immediate future and Tony made plans to move him to one of the guest bedrooms as soon as possible. He would have preferred his own bedroom, of course, but their relationship wasn't there yet. But maybe… He took Stephen's hand again and caressed his fingers to offer silent comfort.

"You're going to be okay."

No verbal answer came but Stephen squeezed his fingers with too little strength. Tony swallowed down his tears and took the time to really look at him for the first time. Stephen didn't look like he was on death's door anymore but he still looked like hell and far away from being healthy. The blue had left his lips but his breathing still wasn't good, his skin had lost what little color it had possessed and he looked paler than a ghost, except for the dark circles under his eyes. He had also lost weight he really couldn't afford to lose, Tony noted to his great discomfort. Stephen's usual robes had hidden it so far but now he was only in a thin tunic and Tony could see more bones than the wanted to. 

Stephen had been in bad shape before that damn poison from another dimension had gotten its claws into him and that fact would make his recovery so much harder now. 

_You need someone to take care of you._ Tony barely managed to keep the words back, unsure how they would be received. They both knew that they were attracted to each other but had been caught in some kind of limbo between friendship and romance for weeks now. It was crystal clear that they both knew that they wanted more but the timing had never been right so far. Until the moment when it had been almost too late. _I can't lose you, not now, not ever._ He was so busy thinking, planning and fantasizing about a future where Stephen was happy and healthy that he flinched when Stephen's husky and weak voice broke the silence.

"We haven't talked about the other elephant in the room," Stephen said and Tony's cautiously optimistic mood vanished in a heartbeat. "My heart can't get stronger as long as the poison attacks it constantly."

"No, we haven't," he agreed and helped Stephen in slowly raising his right hand. They both looked at the dark lines marring his skin.

"How far along are they?" 

"Let me check." Tony carefully lowered Stephen's arm before he brushed aside the flimsy fabric of Stephen's undertunic. "Here," he said and touched Stephen's collarbones. They were too prominent; a problem for another time. Tony tried to keep his touch short and impersonal but started to caress the soft skin under his fingertips by instinct. Stephen didn't protest; instead he moved his head to the side to allow better access. Tony stroked over the so far unmarked skin and hated the universe. "But it has slowed down. The poison worked faster when your heart was still struggling." It made no sense but Stephen took the news stoically.

"Magic," was his eventual answer. "Magic from another dimension. It's not supposed to make sense in ours."

Time to tackle the elephant then, Tony decided. "Your message was very vague on that account. You made a very tearful goodbye-speech which was very heartbreaking - and if you think that we're not going to talk about that you're an even greater idiot than I think you are - but rather vague on actual facts." He nodded to the Cloak which was, of course, still hovering near them and kept in constant contact with Stephen. "You took more time to explain what would happen to your Cloak than what was happening to you. 'I'm dying and I wanted to see you one last time before the end' might be considered romantic but I would have preferred some more info on _why_ you were dying. And you do realize that this whole dancing around each other business ends right now, right?" He paused to take a breath and Stephen used the pause to catch his gesticulating hand while trying very hard to keep still with the rest of his body.

"Tony, _breathe_. And stay here. Otherwise I have to get up and follow and you want me to stay put."

The gentle reminder of Stephen's fragile state stung. "Sorry," he muttered and forced himself to sit down on the edge of the bed. He pressed his fingers against the scarred pulse-point of Stephen's wrist without even thinking about it and began to count.

"Getting an obsession with my pulse?"

Tony looked up, suddenly serious. "Get used to it. You realize that I'm going to monitor your vitals 24/7 until the nanites are finished with you, right?" _Maybe even after that._ That sounded far creepier spoken out lout than it had in his head, Tony had to admit, but Stephen accepted the truth with a barely there nod and a soft sigh.

"FRIDAY can do it for you, you don't have to hold my wrist for that."

"No," Tony agreed. "But the man I love and want to be with almost died in my arms before I could touch him for the first time. Now I'm going to hold his hand for as long as I want to." He reached out with his free hand and put it on the left side of Stephen's face. "Don't get too excited," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss Stephen. Stephen stayed unresponsive for a moment before he opened his mouth and let Tony in. Otherwise he stayed still and let Tony do as he wanted. But a quiet moan and the way his fingers tightened weakly around Tony's showed his appreciation. To his great delight that quiet passiveness confirmed a couple of Tony's suspicions.

Tony ended the kiss with a soft bite to Stephen's lower lip and straightened himself. "Now that that's out of the way," he said and tenderly brushed a hand through Stephen's hair, "let's get you up and we talk about this poison business." He watched with affection as Stephen automatically moved his head to press his check against the palm of his hand. He didn't want to interrupt the mood but it had to be done.

Stephen once again surrendered without a word. He winced only a little when Tony helped him up into a position halfway between sitting and laying down. It was easier on his back and lungs than lying down flat. "Much better," he said after taking a deep but still careful breath.

"How does it feel?"

Still supported by Tony he carefully touched his chest and Tony was mesmerized when his long and still beautiful fingers slipped under the fabric of his tunic to touch the bandage beneath. He had fantasized about those hands for a long time.

Stephen closed his eyes and probably slipped into a light trance while he touched his chest. Tony guessed that he used his magic to check himself out far more thoroughly than anybody else could have. "I can feel them," was the final verdict after a couple of minutes. "Deep in there, moving around. Repairing. I didn't know that my heart was this damaged. I should have…" Stephen looked up but didn't clarify what he should have known or done. "It's not really painful, just…" he shrugged and winced. Tony tightened his hold to keep him still again. "It feels much better than before." 

"'Before' meaning when you were dying from the world's slowest heart attack? Now you know why I don't want you moving around so much." Stephen wasn't stupid but sometimes he couldn't recognize his own limits and Tony was determined to keep him from hurting himself further.

A careful nod and Stephen pulled his hand back out to grab Tony's. The both stared at his naked arms. Tony had never before seen the damage up close and longed to touch but held himself back. He had touched Stephen without invitation more than enough for one day.

"It looks like palladium poisoning but I guess it's something else." Time to get back on track.

Another slow nod. "And it doesn't hurt," Stephen said softly.

Tony had told him about his troubles with the palladium core and the doctor in him had been aghast while the rest of Stephen had understood who Tony could put himself through that particular hell. He traced the lines on his left arm with barely concealed fascination.

"It's a side effect; normally - back where it belongs - the poison would have just stopped my heart a few hours after indigestion and that would have been it. No trace of the assassination; it would have looked like an unfortunate but natural death. I wasn't quite healthy when I showed up at court and my enemies must have seen that and decided to take the chance. With me out of the way the door to our dimension would be much less guarded and…" He trailed off, obviously unwilling to discuss truly foreign politics. Tony decided to let it pass, he would get the whole story eventually. "But it's a magical poison and the trip back to our dimension triggered a transformation," Stephen finished and looked up again. "They're going to fade in a few months. If…"

"If we can neutralize the poison. Wong's on it but I haven't heard from him in a while. FRI?"

"Calling Master Wong and asking him for an update."

"Thanks." He concentrated back on Stephen. "Wong did some magical chanting over your body when you were unconscious and concluded that we can't filter it out by medical means. Not even the nanites can sense it and believe me, they've tried."

"It's magical," Stephen said once again. "Of course you're not going to get it out of my body through dialysis."

"Shame."

"I prefer not to be hooked up to tons of equipment for the next few days, trust me. I'm weak enough as it is. Wong will find a way; he knows the library and its contents better than anyone else." Stephen frowned and the next words obviously left a bitter taste in his mouth. "He also knows much more than I do." He looked up again. "It can be kept in check as long as my heart stays strong. Until we find another solution that is."

Which meant minimal movement and lots of rest in the foreseeable future while the nanites were busy keeping the poison at bay and strengthening his heart. Stephen was going to go insane in a day's time and Tony was already busy making plans for keeping that clever mind occupied while his body rested and healed. Stephen suddenly offered up his hands and arms for inspection. The Cloak swept in and supported his arms from below.

Looking up at Tony through his lashes he looked like a willing sacrifice and something in Tony broke while a completely different sort of warmth filled his heart and soul at this show of unconditional trust. He also wanted that display under other, much more fun, circumstances, he realized with a jolt. He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. _Later. Much later_ , he promised himself.

"You've quite literally had my heart in your hands today, so you can touch the rest of me." Stephen suddenly turned his head down to stare at his arms. "If you want to, that is, as long as I'm sick. And despite... It's not contagious, but you already know that." He'd mentioned it in his message yes, right after _'I've been poisoned and will die in a couple of hours but I wanted to see you one last time.'_

 _Oh, Stephen._ Tony wouldn't have thought it possible but Stephens special kind of self-hate and lack of self-worth managed to break his heart once again. "Stephen." He shrugged helplessly and frantically searched for words. "Of course I want to touch you. All of you." He carefully took both of Stephen's beautiful hands in his. After a moment he put two fingers under Stephen's chin and gently encouraged him to raise his head. "And as soon as you're well again I will show you _exactly_ how much I want to touch you. And where." He hesitated for a moment, unsure of himself. _Screw it_ , he finally decided and looked Stephen straight in the eyes. He had more than enough data for a working hypothesis. "I'm here for you, baby. Let me take care of you." _In every way I can. Please allow me._

Stephen looked at him in shock for a moment before he nodded silently. He tried to lower his head again to hide the light blush that had appeared but Tony was faster. He gently encouraged Stephen to keep his head up. The color was still there and despite his weakened state he looked beautiful. But also so damn insecure that it broke Tony's heart all over again. He really needed to know more about Stephen's past, he was pretty sure that there were some unexploded landmines to disarm before Stephen could really trust him. A problem for another time. For now he did the only thing he could think of to show Stephen how much he adored and loved him.

He leaned in close for another kiss. This time Stephen dared to respond a little bit more and Tony was once again left wondering if this calm submissiveness was in Stephen's nature of if someone had trained him to be like this. He could work with the former and would hunt down and kill the ones responsible if it was the latter.

Tony kept the kiss short and sweet and broke it off as soon as he heard Stephen moan again. That little sound was quickly becoming his weakness. His own body was already responding to his long-suppressed desires but Stephen couldn't afford that luxury right now. Right now he was too exhausted and weak to react to only one little kiss but there was no need for further risk taking. Tony pressed another kiss against his temple and made sure to keep a little bit of distance between them afterwards.

 _We could have had this weeks ago_ , he suddenly realized. _Without him almost dying and…_ He forced the thought away. What was done was done and Stephen didn't have a shiny Infinity Stone necklace to re-write history anymore.

"Rest now," he commanded softly and was left breathless when Stephen put his head back on the pillow immediately.

"You like it when I follow your orders." Stephen smirked and winked a moment later.

Tony grinned back. "And I think you like it when I give you orders." Oh, _how_ he could work with that. He was looking forward to exploring Stephen's responsiveness. He had a feeling that they were going to be _very_ compatible.

Stephen's smile vanished and the tension returned. He searched out Tony's hand to hold on. "Not always. I'm not… I can't… I _won't_ …" He forced himself to relax again while he searched for words. Tony tried to calm him down further with soothing strokes on the back of his hand.

"Shh." Despite what he just said Stephen fell silent immediately and the tension vanished as he watched with wary eyes as Tony got up from his hunched position. "It's okay." Tony didn't want someone who mindlessly followed his commands. But he wasn't naïve enough to not acknowledge the thrill it gave him when Stephen surrendered to him. Balance was everything and it would always be Stephen's choice if he wanted to surrender or stay in control. "We'll talk about it later." They could revisit that special minefield in the future when Stephen was better and able to express himself fully without fear of hurting himself in the process.

Stephen grimaced; he had been reminded to keep calm and still a little bit too often for his liking since waking up. Tony could sympathize but it didn't change the facts. Stephen recognized the truth too, after he had a moment to think about it. Tony once again gently squeezed his hand. "Soon," he promised. "But you have to get well first."

Stephen looked up, disgusted and still somehow managing to look like a lost puppy. It was cute and Tony was ready to tell him exactly that when FRIDAY interrupted:

"Master Wong has returned my call."

As always Stephen looked up at the ceiling as if he could see the AI if he only looked hard enough. It was a charming tick that warmed Tony's heart every time. And just like that the subject of what Stephen wanted or was comfortable with was closed and they were back to the really important things.

"What does he say?"

"That he will arrive shortly."

"And?" 

"Some grumbling about Doctor Strange and how he should really have known better than to keep his condition a secret until it was almost too late."

Stephen blushed once again and ducked his head while Tony rolled his eyes. He could almost _hear_ Wong saying those words. "Does he have an antidote?"

"There is not antidote. Because _someone_ decided to wait too long before asking for help and now it's too late to neutralize the poison."

The words crashed into their hopeful little bubble outside of reality and shattered it in a heartbeat.

"Hello, Wong," Stephen said when the man himself had stepped into the room. He tried to sit up straighter but flinched and hunched back down. Tony automatically tightened his grip on his wrist while taking his other hand to stroke over Stephen's neck and down his back - comfort and gentle reminder in one. Stephen let himself be coaxed into a more upright position which was better for his breathing. Otherwise Tony was still busy being surprised and pissed off and only nodded at Wong. Wong nodded back.

Stephen decided to end their staring contest in the most stupid manner possible. "Technically I didn't ask for help," he said. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Tony and things kind of escalated…" He fell silent when to sets of disapproving eyes turned to him and stared at him incredulously.

Wong relaxed his stance and looked at their entwined hands and how Tony still had a possessive hand on Stephen's back. Stephen had rested his head against Tony's upper arm in the meantime. He looked exhausted and Tony longed to take him into a real embrace. _Soon_ , he promised himself.

Wong contemplated them for a long moment, before he finally smiled a little. "That makes things easier," he finally said.

"What makes what easier? And what is this bullshit about there being no antidote? What's the next step?" If there wasn't one he had to find one. One part of Tony's brain was already busy planning, thinking about how he could acquire some starting knowledge on those so-called 'Mystic Arts' and what subsidiary of SI was equipped best to handle the research into…

"If there is no cure then it's best…" Stephen started at the same time but a sharp look from Wong made him fall silent. Wong looked at Tony with a lot more respect than ever before.

"It's a miracle that you kept him alive so far." He came nearer and let himself fall into the chair vacated by Tony hours ago. He looked exhausted but not as depressed as a man who had just spoken the death sentence over a close friend should look. "And he's awake and coherent. Which means that he'll probably survive this."

" _I am_ still here, very much coherent as you have mentioned just now, and I really don't appreciate it when I'm spoken about as if I'm not even here. Or an idiot."

"You are an idiot," was Wong's immediate but friendly rebuke. "An idiot who likes self-sacrifice a little bit too much for my taste."

 _Finally some common ground between us_ , Tony thought. He gently squeezed Stephen's fingers once again and forced himself to keep silent. To listen. Stephen squeezed back and forced himself to calm his breathing. Also again. _This is going to get old fast_ , Tony realized. _I don't want to sedate him just to keep him calm._ The constant back and forth wasn't the best for Stephen's weakened heart, even though it wasn't immediately dangerous anymore.

"There isn't an antidote," Stephen repeated softly. His voice had gotten even quieter and huskier and Tony silently handed him an already open bottle of water but held himself back from helping him drink. Stephen managed it with only is left hand, since he refused to let go of Tony's hand with his right one. He smiled his thanks as he handed the bottle back. "But as I told Tony just before you came - I can survive as long as my heart stays strong."

"The poison attacks the heart," Wong said, "we know that. The marks on your skin," he gestured at Stephen's arms, "are just some kind of indicator showing its progress." He looked at Tony and added an explanation: "They wouldn't show up if Stephen were still back in the dimension it comes from. But something has transformed it after his return."

"Stephen told me that," Tony said quietly.

Wong ignored him. "It has also slowed it down. Normally he would have died in a few hours. Thanks to the change he already survived almost two weeks."

"I'm still here."

"Two weeks," Tony echoed, aghast, and turned to Stephen. "You've been living with a failing heart for _two weeks_?"

"Stop." Suddenly Stephen's voice was louder than usual and the snapped word silenced Tony and Wong both. "Enough. I'm here, I'm still alive and I won't tolerate you two talking above or about me as if I'm some kind of invalid. Or stupid." It took him a moment but he sat up straight from his comfortable position leaning against Tony's arm but didn't let go of Tony's hand. "Yes, I was poisoned. No, I didn't know it until shortly before I came to Tony. I felt the first symptoms four days ago and thought that I caught a cold or something." He glared at them both. "When I realized that it was something else, and found out what it was, it was too late. There was no use in worrying you, Wong, since there is nothing you could have done." He took a deep breath and visibly suppressed a cough. Tony winced but didn't dare to interfere. "Is there?"

Wong shook his head. "No. I have no idea how Stark managed to keep you alive you since you should be dead." He looked curious but Stephen shook his head, obviously unwilling to discuss the nanites. Tony followed his lead and just shrugged in the hope to convey 'his choice'. "But I'm glad you're not."

"I can survive as long as my heart stays strong and it can't be by magical means," Stephen repeated with an edge in his voice that warned the other two not to interfere again. "What Tony has done is a miracle," at that he offered a grateful smile, "but it's only a temporary fix. The stand-off between magic and technology in my body won't hold forever and technology _will_ lose sooner rather than later."

It was a bitter reminder that sucked the air out of Tony's lungs. He had a denial already on his lips but one look at Stephen convinced him to let him finish first.

"The poison has to go. So, what's your solution? You obviously have one. Wong?" Having said that Stephen once again relaxed against Tony's arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It warmed Tony's soul and he carefully put an arm around Stephen in a sort of embrace. The short but intense coughing fit that followed chilled him to the bone.

"Shh," he whispered but Stephen didn't react. He was shivering a little and the Cloak came immediately to drape itself around him as well as it could with Tony in the way. "FRIDAY, please rise the temperature in here."

"Done."

"You've already found it." Wong nodded at their entwined position. He seemed rather happy to see it, Tony noted to his great relief. "All the sources I found about your condition - and there isn't much, as you already know - paint a rather grim picture," he continued after an impatient sound from Stephen. "Magical poison enters body, weakens heart, kills its victim inside a few hours. You managed to delay it through the magic that brought you back here into our dimension - it somehow made it slow down and visible on your skin." They all looked down at the dark lines on Stephen's arms and Stephen absently traced the ones on his right arm with shaking fingers.

"We all know that," he muttered.

Wong cleared his throat. "Well, yes." He shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "Your heart somehow got stronger again."

"It's an ongoing process and a quite unstable one, I fear," Stephen interrupted. "It's not sustainable for longer than a few days."

"Maybe a week and a half," Tony dared to interrupt. After that the nanites would start to deteriorate since he still hadn't solved that particular problem amongst a host of others. And Stephen's body couldn't take another batch of them.

"Make it longer," Wong said bluntly and uncrossed his arms to lean forward. "By my best guess you'll need about two and a half to three weeks."

"And then what?"

"The poison will deteriorate in our dimension of its own. But it takes _time_. Keep your heart beating for as long as that takes and you'll probably survive. And remember: No magic use, that only helps then poison and weakens you."

"Fuck." Stephen closed his eyes and _slumped_ against Tony. "Couldn't you have come with better news?"

Dead silence. Then a quiet. "Sorry, Stephen. I can't do anything else. Magic won't help you and that's what I know best." He sighed. "I thought, since you're awake and talking that Stark managed to…"

"Sorry doesn't help me. Despite Tony's genius I might have not quite two weeks. To be so lucky to get the full two weeks the stars have to be aligned in a way they have never been before."

"We'll do it," Tony said almost at the same time. There was always one last, desperate measure if nothing else worked out… Besides, two weeks was doable; a few days more probable if Tony continued to tweak their coding. The nanites could last that long and as long as Stephen was really careful and rested there was a chance. "We'll find a way." The Cloak nodded beside him.

Wong nodded. "I'll go back and ask the other masters. Maybe…" He didn't sound hopeful but Tony and Stephen both appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you," Stephen said. "We'll keep you updated." 

"Thank me by surviving," Wong answered. He got up and stared at them for another long moment. "You fit well together," was his final verdict.

Before either of them could react, he'd conjured a portal and had vanished.

"Well, that was kind of anticlimactic."

Stephen just _loved_ the way Tony could understate thing if he wanted to and had told him so before. Better to react like this than letting Stephen feel his despair.

 _I'm not going to lose you_ , he promised. _Even if I have to…_

"That's Wong," Stephen said and barely managed to suppress a carless shrug. His chest probably still hurt from his earlier coughing fit.

"How are you feeling?" 

"Get me out of here and somewhere where I can rest without being bored to death in a day's time." Tony very deliberately didn't react and waited to Stephen to give in. He didn't have to wait long. "My chest hurts. There's a tight feeling and I don't know where it comes from. If it's the nanites or if I'm imagining it because I'm afraid." The words obviously left a bitter taste in his mouth. "But now we know that there's a chance, don't we? I just have to stay put for about three weeks and I'll be fine."

Tony loved Stephen's optimism but he wasn't a fan of the bitter tone in which it was delivered. "I can always…" 

"No."

"You don't know…"

"I do and no. You're not going to sedate me for the next three weeks. If I'm going to be bedbound and useless the least you can do is to keep me company." He suddenly swallowed and looked Tony straight in the eyes. "My condition will probably deteriorate in the last few days when the nanites begin to shut down, you realize that, right?"

"Of course." That had been one of Tony's first thoughts when he had heard Wong's estimation.

"Let me have a few days with you before that happens."

Fuck, would Stephen ever stop breaking Tony's heart with his casually spoken words? Probably not. He put a hand on Stephen's cheek and wiped away the tears before kissing him once again. "I'll save you again," he promised. He could feel his own tears and was grateful when the Cloak dabbed them away.

Stephen smiled at him before he hid his face against Tony's chest. "You have my permission to put me under if, and only if, I'm slipping away before the time is up." The soft words proved to be Tony's undoing and the Cloak was just fast enough to get out of the way when Tony finally took Stephen into the tight embrace he'd longed for in the last couple of weeks.

"Stephen. Honey." He didn't know where to begin; hope and frustration fought against each other and blocked his brain for anything else. He opted for holding Stephen even closer and whispering soothing nonsense yet again. "I promise."

"I'll trust you to recognize the right moment," Stephen whispered and clung back with what little strength he could muster. "And now get me out of here and somewhere more comfortable."

*

'Somewhere more comfortable' turned out to be Tony's bedroom. It was fully integrated into FRIDAYs systems and she could monitor Stephen there just as easily as she could a couple of floors down in the medbay. Stephen had insisted on going there himself, after a short detour to the bathroom, and Tony, already fearing the battle of wills that would undoubtedly enfold over the next couple of weeks, had given in as gracefully as possible.

Stephen was totally exhausted and non-verbal by the time they got there and Tony barely had time to help him drink a little bit of water before he fell in an uneasy sleep. Food and the problem of Stephen's weight loss would have to wait for tomorrow and the days, weeks and probably even months to come. The alternative was unthinkable.

Tony watched him for a long time and marveled at the immense amounts of trust put into him. It would be so easy to sedate Stephen right now and make sure that his heart could hold on for as long as possible… but he had a promise to keep.

Then he told FRIDAY to pull up the schematics of the nanites he'd put in Stephen and the ones from his own. Stephen's vitals were in a constantly updated corner of the holographic screen. Right now it didn't look too bad but the nanites were still busy repairing instead of supporting. Each time they made some progress the poison would ruin it once again. But the lines hadn't advanced below Stephen's collarbones. Tony longed to trace them once again but he didn't want to do that without Stephen's consent. Also, he wanted to watch Stephen react to his touch. But he didn't resist the temptation to rest his hand on Stephen's chest for a moment or two to feel his heartbeat and his ribcage moving up and down in time with his regular breaths.

 _I'll get you through this_ , he vowed.

"Time to get to work then," he told his AI. Stephen's body would not be able to take another batch of the nanites 1.0, no, but if Tony was finally able to crack the code of his own and succeeded in fusing them with another DNA than his own…

"I invented a completely new element to save myself, I can rewrite some tiny robots to save you," he promised his sleeping soon-to-be lover after kissing him on the forehead. "I love you and I'm not letting you go, baby." He finally gave up fighting against his longing and softly traced one of Stephen's too sharp cheekbones. "Never," he added softly after a moment of careful reflection and smiled when Stephen made some sort of contented noise and chased his touch even in sleep.

* * *

Stephen closed his eyes and raised his head towards the warmth of the early spring sun. He was still easily chilled - an after effect of having lost too much weight in too short an amount of time and having been more or less bedbound for almost two months. He had taken up some light yoga in addition to his usual meditation but it would take a long time before he was back in fighting form.

Even with the Cloak securely wrapped around his shoulders he was a little bit cold out here on the terrace of Tony's penthouse but he didn't want to use magic to warm himself up. He could, if he wanted to, but he chose to let the Cloak do its thing. Slowly and with great care he extended his right arm and looked at his trembling hand for a long while before he finally moved his wrist in a familiar but still painful gesture.

A second later a butterfly in an almost translucent tone of blue was sitting in the palm of his hand. "Hello," he murmured and smiled at the personification of his recovery. It was the first act of magic he had performed since that misbegotten portal that had landed him exactly where he needed to be instead of where he wanted to be. The Cloak poked at the butterfly to investigate the little thing and after a moment nodded encouragingly. It radiated pleasure and Stephen patted it affectionately with his free hand. 

"We still have a few years left in us, I think." The Cloak hadn't dissolved the spell, still determined to go with Stephen whenever his time might come now.

"More than a few years, I hope," said a beloved voice from the door. "A couple of decades would be nice." 

The butterfly took off but landed on a plant only a short distance away and watched them.

Stephen didn't need to turn around to see Tony there - arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe and watching his vitals through his glasses. Stephen let him have his little obsession and even indulged him by wearing a subtle bracelet which monitored his pulse and quite a few other things. It looked like a slender silver bracelet and didn't hinder his movements or his magic in the slightest, as his little test had just proven.

Neither did the new nanites, directly taken from Tony's body and re-programmed to Stephen's DNA in a last desperate measure of devotion when his heart was irrevocably damaged by its fight against the poison. Just like Tony he would have to learn to live with the knowledge that his survival was dependent on those tiny little things in his blood. He could live very well with that prospect.

He smiled once again. "Come here." Tony took the invitation and was at his side a second later. It took some shuffling and re-arranging of limbs and fabric but finally Stephen was where he belonged - in Tony's arms with his back to Tony's chest while the Cloak enveloped them both to keep them warm. Tony's hand was over his heart, gently restraining and supporting his upper body with one possessive little gesture. He appreciated the fact that Tony didn't ask him how he felt. There was silence for another couple of minutes.

"Let me see," Tony finally begged and Stephen held out one arm to show off the fading lines on it. He wasn't sure if they would ever fade completely but what difference made a few lines on his arms when his hands were already a scarred and shaking mess? Tony wasn't disgusted and had made very sure that Stephen knew that over the last few weeks. By now he knew Stephen's body intimately and Stephen could hardly wait to start his own exploration in return.

He'd _seen_ Tony naked, yes, had touched him and helped him find release even though Stephen's own body hadn't been up for anything but gentle touches and cuddling. He would get there, he knew - it had been the same after his accident. His sex drive had never been the same since then, even after all the operations were done and he'd forced himself to get by without painkillers. His age probably didn't help but Tony had told him over and over again that it didn't matter, that he was more than happy to wait until Stephen was fully recovered before they really started that side of their relationship. 

Tony traced the lines silently but with a reverence that made Stephen shudder. He had never felt as safe and protected as when he was in Tony's arms. _Precious_ , Tony had called him when he had still been half unconscious after the injection of the new nanites, and Stephen, still struggling to breathe and begging for his heart to just hold on a little while longer, had finally discovered how it felt to be really cherished by someone.

 _Do it_ , he told himself. It was time to break the fragile balance between hope and fear that had come up in the last few days. Ever since Stephen was well enough to get up for the whole day but not well enough to be on his own again.

"I talked to Wong."

Tony's arms tightened around him to an almost painful degree. Almost.

"When will you return to the Sanctum?" There was only resignation in Tony's voice, nothing more. It broke Stephen's heart, like so many things Tony had done or said over the last month. Here was the most selfless person on the planet, ready to once again let everything he loved go. Stephen hated the fact that he had to hurt him so, but he had to know what Tony's reaction would be to that prospect before he could propose his counter offer.

"Next week." He wanted to say more but Tony moved forward to nuzzle his throat and kiss him below the ear. All other words where forgotten when Stephen shivered, moved his head a little bit to the side and let out a little moan - he knew by now how turned on Tony was by little displays of submission and that he _really_ loved Stephen's little moans and cries of pleasure. Which in turn turned Stephen on. He grabbed Tony's right hand and put it right over his awakening cock. _Finally._ "It's time," he whispered. "Let's go back to bed and do this right."

"Stephen." Tony's helpless groan was funny and Stephen laughed before he got up and held out a hand to help his love up.

"Come on, you're not going to fuck me on the cold stones when there is a perfectly comfortable bed just a couple of steps away."

Tony took his offered hand without hesitation and trusted Stephen to be strong enough to pull him up. The both smiled at each other before Stephen leaned in for a long, drawn-out kiss. He had one hand on the side of Tony's face and the other on his hip and shivered when Tony's clever fingers found their way beneath his tunic and began to stroke his back before moving lower. The first teasing touch made him almost melt on the spot and his moan became a curse. He arched into the touch but there was still something important he had to say before he allowed Tony to have his way with him and short out his brain for the foreseeable future.

"Tony, wait," he begged. Tony immediately stopped but kept his hand where it was. He knew the difference between 'no' and 'just give me a little moment' Stephen realized to his relief. "I have something for you."

"I know, I can feel it pressed against my stomach." Tony's hips made _that_ move and it got even harder to hold on to coherent thought. Stephen laughed. Tony had waited long and patiently but obviously he was on the end of his rope. Stephen could sympathize.

"Bed," he demanded and let himself be led inside, stripped and laid on the bed like some sort of sacrifice. Or a gift to the incredible man before him.

"God, baby, you're beautiful," Tony breathed and it was nice to hear, despite knowing just how untrue it was. The endearment, sparingly used, had its usual effect in making him blush and Tony grinned. He let his hands wander over Stephen's chest, stopping over the scar where he put in the nanites that had saved Stephen's life for a long moment, before moving down.

 _Later_ , he decided. Tony would hear about it later. _After_ he had his fun and reduced Stephen to a whimpering mess.

There was more than enough time to tell Tony about his plans to relocate them _both_ to the Sanctum on a permanent basis. He'd already begun to make plans with FRIDAY on how to integrate her into his home, after all, and there was more than enough space for Tony's bots of nuisance. The Cloak was already looking forwards to the new non-human but sentient company.

It should be a great lead-in for round two.

They would get the happy ending that they both thought they didn't deserve after all.

"I love you." Stephen made sure to say the words loud and clear and laughed out loud when Tony stared at him in breathless awe and then _pounced_. It was his last coherent sentence for quite a while.

**Author's Note:**

> [author's notes, very long version](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/182705059691/precious) 🦋 thank you so much for reading  
> comments and kudos will be worshipped like the precious beings they are  
> 💞


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